Junior's victory also a win for NASCAR

5:21 a.m. EST, June 22, 2012|Don Coble, The Florida Times-Union

Car owner Rick Hendrick watched Sunday's race at Michigan International Raceway from home. And like most in NASCAR, he could barely contain his emotions in the closing lap as Dale Earnhardt Jr. got closer to ending a four-year losing streak.

"I was doing laps around my couch, trying to end this race, man," Hendrick said. "I was too nervous to stand still. ... I was so afraid there was going to be a caution or something was going to happen."

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The moment Earnhardt crossed the finish line there was a collective sigh of relief from every corner of the stock-car world. The most popular driver had finally snapped a 143-race winless streak, which might have pumped new life into the sport.

The competition was quick to react. Jeff Gordon came to Victory Lane. So did Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth. NASCAR president Mike Helton stopped by as well, proclaiming Earnhardt as a championship contender.

Much like Tiger Woods in golf, Earnhardt has been able to put fans in the stands and drive television ratings. When he's on, business is good. When he's not, everyone else suffers.

That's why Earnhardt's dominating win was embraced by so many.

"I like seeing, you know, I like seeing the smiles on everyone else's, on everybody else's face," Earnhardt said. "I'm going to enjoy this, and I am enjoying this. It's so awesome to see how many other people it affects. I don't want to get carried away, but we have a great thing going."

Free drinks

And everyone else is along for the ride, including his fans at Whisky River at the St. Johns Town Center in Jacksonville. Earnhardt is a partner in the bar, so every television set was tuned to the race -- not to the U.S. Open -- complete with his in-car audio.

And when Junior won, manager Bradley Owens said everyone drank free for an hour. The mood was just as festive at the track.

"I know how hard he's been working on this and how bad he's wanted it and how good this is going to make him feel," Johnson said. "... I'm just super-stoked for him."

Second-place finishes

Since winning at Michigan four years ago, Earnhardt came close with seven second-place finishes. This is his best and most consistent season since moving to Sprint Cup in 2000. He has 10 top-10 finishes in 15 races. His worst effort of the year was a respectable 17th-place finish at Darlington, S.C.

After coming close so many other times, Earnhardt finally closed the deal.

In a rare moment of emotion, the son of seven-time series champion Dale Earnhardt took time to witness the reaction. Most of the 82,000 fans at Michigan were on their feet, waving their arms and screaming in delight. Television executives and track promoters probably were doing the same.

"I came off Turn 4 for the checkered, and they were pretty excited all the way down the front straightaway," Earnhardt said. "I felt good for them because they had -- my fans had gone through a lot to stay dedicated and they stayed loyal, and they asked -- they wondered why we weren't competitive. There were a couple two or three years ago, where we were far from competitive. I was, as a driver. They wanted to know why we weren't competitive, and they wondered what was missing, but they never doubted me."

Party planned

Charlotte Motor Speedway quickly tried to harness the groundswell by offering two tickets for $88 -- Earnhardt's car number -- for its race on Oct. 19.

Hendrick has been one of Earnhardt's biggest fans during the drought. To mark the victory, the car owner will throw a big bash.

"Well, we had [singer] Brad Paisley come down and play for our 200th win [as a company]," Hendrick said. "No telling what we might do for this one. I don't know, but we're going to do something. We do like to celebrate together, because the organization just works so hard, and they want to see Junior do so well."

'For my fans'

Earnhardt knows his fan base is the best in racing. That loyalty was rewarded. It also fueled his desire to be something more than a master of marketing.

"To do it for my fans, they've stuck behind me for all these years," he said. "And I know exactly what they've been thinking about and how long they've been wanting us to get into Victory Lane. And so this is for them. I appreciate their loyalty and their support. And we wouldn't have made it back to Victory Lane without it. That's who I've got to give all the credit to."